


This Means Something

by Emmybazy



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-09
Updated: 2017-07-09
Packaged: 2018-11-29 15:52:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11444124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emmybazy/pseuds/Emmybazy
Summary: Jace and Maia started hooking up behind their friends' backs in October. Now, it's the spring semester. Maia and Jace make each other happy, so why exactly haven't they told their friends yet?Or, everyone thinks Jace is still in love with Clary. He's not.





	This Means Something

**Author's Note:**

> I haven't watched episode 2x14 because I'm living in my happy little dream world that this ship won't die on the show.
> 
> I had really wanted to write an enemies to FWB to in love fic but this happened instead. I wrote the first scene and it derailed when I realized I love the idea of Jace calling Maia baby and then it just got really cuddly and emotional in a way that I don't necessarily think is either Jace or Maia's characters but I feel like they deserve. Also, I have decided both of their top love language is touch so there is a lot of that. 
> 
> I'm going to write a second part which will be how this universe's Jace and Maia got together but wanted to put this out there first. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

She can’t help herself. 

It’s too easy. She smiles down at the bar as she wipes up one of the new pledge’s spilled pranks. There’s only one silver lining to the frats taking over the bar during her shift and he’s walking her way wearing that stupid letterman’s jacket she loves to hate. 

“Round of tequila shots on my tab, please?” Jace bounces his eyebrows at her once, his mouth curving into a smile when he meet her eyes. 

“Why not buy the bottle? Really show off to all your friends?” Maia grabs the shot glasses and sets them up on a tray in the shape of a frowning face. 

“I’m not made of money.”

“Could have fooled me,” she sets one hand in the curve of her hip as she pours the line of shot, her eyes tracing over his shoulders. He fucked her against a wall once and she gripped the corded muscle tight in her palms. 

Jace leans closer, the patrons on either side of him not paying attention, “What time are you out tonight?”

She smirks, “Two. Simon and Raph are closing.”

“Any plans?”

She keeps her eyes on his, inches forward as close as she dares in the bar, “You tell me.”

His fingers trail along her’s as she hands over the tray of shots, “You’ll know where I’ll be.” With that, he turns back to his table of meathead frat bros and starts handing out the shots. Maia checks her watch, 1:37. She smiles at her feet and turns to pull another bottle of tequila from storage. 

It’s been three months. She’d seen him around campus, hand in hand with Clary Fairchild and laughing with the other campus celebrities. She’d never desired him then, thought he was boring, another one of the dumb jocks who got ahead on their parent’s money and their good looks. Giver her poor and hungry for success, clawing for a better life any day over those bozos who could buy their way into grad school. 

Clary and Jace broke up and Maia didn’t realize until Clary was suddenly hanging off Simon every night at the bar. She’d known they were friends but she never thought she’d have to compete with Clary, campus queen, for Simon’s affections. She kicked herself for having a thing for a co-worker and moved forward, straight into Jace’s bed on a chilly October evening. Now it's the beginning of the spring semester and Jace has a toothbrush at her place. 

When he picks her up from work, he parks down the street on the edge of the CVS parking lot in his pick-up truck. She can tell when he sees her because the truck exhaust kicks and the headlights flick on. She swings the door open and bounces into the bucket seat. 

“All you need is a white van and you’ll have your creeper cred down,” she pulls the door shut behind her and leans into his space, getting a kiss for the first time in days. 

“Didn’t know that was one of your kinks,” he holds her just by the base of her neck, cradling her head in his large palm, “How was your shift?”

“Can’t complain,” she unfurls herself from his side and buckles the seat belt, “you didn’t take any of those shots, right?”

“One beer the whole night. I wasn’t going to take chances with such precious cargo.”

“Yourself?”

He laughs as he throws the car in reverse, “Exactly, can’t take risks with perfection like this.”

Maia hums and slips her boots off. She tucks her knees up, her back against the window. He has one hand at 2 and the other taps a beat against the window, his eyes glued to the road. He’s a top 40s type of guy but he keeps an R&B station on for her and blasts it as they weave through the streets toward her apartment. She bites her lip before she says something she’ll regret. 

“Hey, buy me a Mcflurry,” she orders, toe coming up to poke his arm. He switches hands on the wheel so he can pull her foot into his lap. She tugs back but he has her ankle and clamps her calf under his armpit. 

“Ask nicely,” he teases, stroking a finger down the arch of her foot. 

“You wouldn’t,” she scrunches her nose up. He arches an eyebrow before digging his nails into the arch of her foot. She screeches, trying to pull her foot back as he continues to tickle the sole, “Please! Please you asshole, buy me a flurry!”

“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” he kisses her ankle before letting her foot slip free. 

“Better be a large,” she murmurs, pouting and hoping he’ll look her way. 

He does, “Anything for you baby.” He turns into a 24 hour drive through. She doesn't tell him what she wants because he knows she likes the M&M ones more than the Oreo and that she won’t ask for french fries but she always wants them. 

******

“It’s so sad,” Izzy pouts.

“What?” Maia looks up from her essay. Izzy doesn’t need to explain for Maia to know what she’s talking about. Simon and Clary are walking through the bookshelves toward them, hand in hand, with a scowling Jace behind them, “Oh, that.”

“It’s been, like, 6 months since they broke up. You think he’d be over it by now,” Izzy bounces her pencil against her notebook. Maia unclenches her jaw. 

“Please, like you still don’t think about missing out on Simon. And you two weren’t even together,” Maia makes space so that Jace can pull up a chair next to her. 

“I pretend I don’t for Clary’s sake. You’d think Jace would do a better job of not being so obvious,” the trio approach the table and Izzy smiles bright at them, “Hey there you three.”

“Hey,” Jace grunts at Izzy and pats her back. When she’s not looking, his hand skims along Maia’s shoulders as he pulls the cozy armchair nearby up to their table. She adjusts her weight so her ankle can rest next to his. 

“Hi, how’s your day so far?” Clary asks and Maia doesn’t listen to Izzy’s answer because her phone lights up with a new text. 

_ Hi Beautiful :) _

She bites back a grin and disregards the desire to look at him.  _ Hey Stupid, how’s your knee?  _ She puts her phone down and picks up the conversation. 

“No worries if you can’t make it,” Simon says, “but it’d be nice to have some friendly faces in the crowd.”

“I’ll go,” Maia says, “I don’t think I have to work that night.”

“Wouldn’t miss it Simon,” Jace grins. Maia’s phone buzzes,  _ Not 100% but definitely better than it was, how was the test? _

“Thanks guys, that means a lot.” He loops his arm around Clary’s back and Maia leans more in Jace’s direction.

_ I passed so that’s all that matters. _

_ I’m sure you did great Ms. deans list _

Maia can’t help the smirk. Izzy furrows her eyebrow and pokes her arm, “what are you all smiley about?”

“Just a cat video, it’s dumb,” she focuses back in on her computer. She has four more pages to write before Monday and she knows if Jace has his way, she won’t spend any time this weekend on it. 

******

 

“Fancy bumping into you here,” Jace whispers in her ear with everyone’s bodies crushed together around them. 

“Hey,” she barely tilts her head, “where did Izzy and Alec go?”

“In the corner with Magnus.”

“What did you think?” Maia nods toward the stage where Simon is disassembling his equipment after his show.

“It was good,” she turns to catch Jace’s smirk, “I told everyone I wasn’t feeling well.”

“That’s funny,” she tilts her head, “I have a paper to write tomorrow and want to wake up early. Let me walk you out.”

Jace grins, gently touches her elbow, “Do you need to say good bye to anyone?”

“They won’t miss me,” Maia shrugs and tugs him away only with her eyes. He follows willingly, captured in the tug she feels whenever they’re together. 

They make it out the back exit and Maia is pulled back into Jace’s body, “Stop!” she laughs as he picks her up and throws her over his shoulder, “I’m not into cavemen!”

“Too bad, I’m feeling a little possessive tonight,” Jace carries her down the back alley and only lets her down when they get to the main street. He keeps a hand on her lower back as they make the quick walk to his truck. 

“Possessive? You? Do tell,” she teases. 

He bites the corner of his lip before he slides his hand further along her back, pulling her in, “That guy was all over you.”

“That guy who touched me without my permission until I attempted to break his foot with my heel? You’re jealous of that guy?” she ends with a flat tone, not knowing what to make of it. 

“I wasn’t jealous,” They get to his car and he pulls her door open, chivalrous to the end, “I was pissed off. I was halfway to you when you poured your drink on him.” He’s caging her in with his arms as she leans against the seat, not in the car yet but her fingers are in his belt loops as she reads his face. 

“I can handle myself Jace. I watched out for myself a lot longer than you’ve been watching out for me.”

“I just wish-” he sighs, runs a hand through his hair, “I could’ve been there. If I had been there, he wouldn’t have tried that shit.”

“Yeah,” Maia grins, “he would’ve tried it on some other girl who might not have known how to deal with it. It’s fine now Jace, I’m good.”

His lips twitch. He lowers his forehead to her neck, resting gently to just have skin touching. She runs her fingertips up his back. 

“I’d go crazy if anyone hurt you,” Jace mutters, like he can’t believe the truth in his own words. 

“Yeah,” she presses a kiss to his jaw, “same babe.”

 

*******

“Mush,” her grip tightens around his neck and he readjusts her against his back. 

“You gain some weight baby?” Jace grunts. 

Maia swats his chest, “Watch your mouth.”

He turns his head to kiss the inside of her bicep, “I’m kidding, you’re light as a feather.”

“Then mush,” she grips him tighter with her knees. Trees hang over the trail as Jace weaves down the shaded path. He’d offered to carry her half a mile ago and even his hard-earned muscles are about to quit. 

“I hope this is the right way,” he mutters.

“What do you mean hope? You’ve been out here before.”

“Only once,” he stops to let her down, “two summers ago when Grandma first had me visit.”

It’s a huge property in the mountains of Virginia that has apparently been in Jace’s family for close to a century. Jace had suggested they take it over during their spring break and everyone invited had jumped at the chance. The sheer grandeur of the mansion left Maia speechless. She had watched Jace act casual about the wealth with all of their friends when she could tell how uncomfortable he was being attached to a palace. 

“Come on, I can see the sun up ahead,” Jace links their fingers together and Maia follows him towards the light filtering through the trees. 

They push through the brambles and look out over the valley below them, the sun rising. Maia squeezes his hand harder and leans into his side. 

“It’s beautiful,” Maia breathes. Tall grass stretches out in front of her on the valley floor with trees rising up either side of the hills, the sun casting golden hues over everything. She turns to Jace and he shines in the morning air, eyes locked on her face. 

“You like it?” Jace asks, his voice betraying his confidence. 

“I love it,” Maia grins, “Definitely worth the early morning.”

“Glad to hear it,” he steps behind her and tugs the zipper of his backpack down. He’d packed it before she’d stumbled down the stairs at 4:30 that morning. He pulls out a blanket that he spreads out on the ground, a thermos, and two mugs, “sit down.”

She sits behind him, pulls him back to sprawl between her thighs. She loops her arms under his arms and settles her clasped hands on his stomach. He pours them cups of coffee and sets one mug in her hands. 

She turns her cheek towards the sun and rests her face against his back, “Thank you for bringing me here.”

He rubs her forearms with his fingers, “Of course, I needed you to myself for a few hours.”

She grunts in agreement, “What is wrong with them?”

“They care too fucking much, that’s what’s wrong.” Jace takes a sip of his coffee and leans more of his weight back into Maia, “It’s like being single is dying to them.”

“I tried to read a book in the library yesterday and Magnus came in and watched me. He picked up a book but he didn’t read it so it was creepy as hell.”

Jace laughs, “Clary gave me the pep talk to get back into the dating game. Izzy used to be the only saving grace and now that she’s started seeing Raphael she’s the worst of them all.”

“What do you think about them?” Maia can’t make up her mind. As close as she and Izzy have become since being roommates their freshman year, Jace and Izzy were family for years. 

Jace sighs, “I never pictured Izzy with someone intense like him. I always thought she’d end up with someone more, care-free?” He moves one hand to Maia’s thigh, still stroking with his thumb, “I don’t know, she seems happy enough and apparently he cares about her.”

“Men are so hard to read with stuff like that,” Maia takes a sip of her luke warm coffee and can practically feel Jace’s smirk when he tries to look at her. 

“Oh yeah, men are hard to read? ‘This doesn’t mean anything?’ ‘You think your charm is going to work on me pretty boy?’” He moves in her arms, pushing her back and hovering over her, wild grin on his face, “Wonder who said that?”

“I was right, your charm didn’t work,” his smile as he looks down at her makes her body ache. His cologne clogs her sense and she breathes him in.

“What did then?” he asks, body pressed close. 

She brings a hand up to scritch through the short hairs growing on his face, “Everything else.” He kisses the words off her lips. She moves her body to fill the gaps in between them. 

“For the record,” he breaks away to rest his forehead to her cheek, “I’m very into you.”

“Yeah?” she gets a hand in his collar and pulls him forward, “Actions speak louder than words, pretty boy.” 

Maia loses herself in the moment with the sun beating down on them and their friends still asleep in their beds a mile away. If this is what she gets of him, stolen moments the rest of the world can’t take, then she’s going to soak up every second.

 

*****

Maia stares straight ahead, not looking at the easy way Jace and Clary move on the dance floor. Clary laughs at something Jace says and Jace looks pleased and Maia feels something shrivel inside her. She told Jace she didn’t want to come to the stupid fraternity formal.

“Maia?” Izzy rests a hand on Maia’s elbow, “Come on. Let’s go to the bathroom.”

“I don’t have to go,” she rumbles. 

“I do, so come with me.”

Izzy pulls her through the corridors of the hotel Jace’s stupid frat had rented for their formal. He’d asked her to go with him with a red rose on her pillow. She had thought it was a step in the right direction, a step toward him accepting her and wanting to be seen with her publically. They’d agreed to tell their friends that they were going out of convenience so they could all sit at one table but Maia had hoped. She put the rose in an old beer bottle and bought a new dress.

Izzy pulls open the bathroom door as “Marry Me” by Train echoes down the hallways. Once they’re inside, the door locked behind them, Izzy turns concerned eyes on Maia. 

“What?” Maia bites. Her dress is the first full length dress she ever bought. It’s crimson with a slit high up on her hip. She’d worn it around her apartment with Jace trailing after her every move. She wants to burn it. 

Izzy’s lip twitches, “I know Maia.”

“What do you think you know?”

“That you love Jace, or you think that you do,” Izzy explains, “It’s all over your face.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Maia turns to look in the mirror, checks her make-up.

“Maia, it’s ok,” Izzy steps close, consoling, “I should have said something sooner. I see the way you look at him but I didn’t think you’d fall like this.”

Maia purses her lips, keeps her voice steady, “I don’t love Jace. Why would you even think that? He’s a bafoon, an entitled bafoon who is apparently still in love with Clary Fairchild.”

Izzy coos, “He wouldn’t be good for you Maia. Clary says he never really opened up to her. He still has a lot of growing up to do before he’s ready to commit. And I think a part of him will always love Clary, she was his first real relationship, it’s hard to move on  from that.”

Maia raises a shaking hand to her lips, tracing them. She sees Jace on her bed, laughing to her about how he'd never really had feelings for Clary. How he couldn’t believe they had lasted as long as they had. She sees him curled in the back of his truck, telling her about being lost and alone after his father passed away. She sees his hands on her hips and his mouth tracing the lines of her hips. 

She sees his hand grip Clary’s waist. His smirk when they’d called both of their names to be the formal king and queen. His back as he’d walked away from her.

“You’re not helping right now Iz,” Maia bites the inside of her lip. She’s not doing this here. 

“Maia?” Izzy touches Maia’s back and Maia pulls away.

“Can I be alone right now?” Maia insists, “Please?”

Izzy’s eyes are wide, “Uh yeah.” Izzy walks out of the bathroom and Maia reclines against the bathroom stall door. 

It all feels like lies in hindsight. It all makes sense. Jace kept her behind closed doors so he could construct the world where they were happy and he didn’t wish he was in someone else’s arms. If no one else saw them, they couldn't call him out on the bull shit of stringing her along. 

She struts out of the bathroom, face under control and head held high. Her purse is at the coat check. She quickly grabs her purse and heads toward the doors. There’s a diner right up the street she and Jace went to one night after her shift. She needs carbs stat. 

She’s halfway down the block when the footsteps pound behind her, “Maia!”

She stops, no use in trying to run away in these heels. She can feel the heat of him move closer even when she’s feet away. She doesn’t turn, doesn’t have to, becasue he skates around to her front. 

“What happened? You ok?” His hands come up to cradle her face. She rips away from him, takes a step back, arms crossed, “Maia, baby, what’s wrong?”

“You have to ask? You still smell like her perfume Jace.”

“That? It’s just a dumb frat tradition,” Jace shrugs, “They always choose two people who they think will be awkward together.”

“If you knew it was going to happen, you could’ve warned me,” Maia purses her lips and stands her ground.

“I explicitly told them not to pick me,” he hovers closer, “if I thought they’d actually do it-”

“That’s not the point Jace,” Maia shakes her head, “You looked so happy.”

“She’s my friend Maia, I wasn’t going to look miserable-”

“You looked like you were in love with her,” Maia plows on, “for months all people will say about you behind your back is how you’re still in love with Clary and I ignored them but they were right, weren’t they?”

“I’m not in love with Clary-”

“Then why were you looking at her like you are Jace? Shit, if you took a snapshot people would think it’s from your wedding day.”

Jace captures her chin between his thumb and forefinger. He brings her face up, “Look at me.” She meets his gaze, “This. This is how I look at someone I’m in love with.” She inhales sharply and he continues, blinking once and licking his lips, “any way I have ever looked at you, that is how I look at someone I’m in love with.”

He drops her chin and she leans the top of her head into his chest. He wraps his hands around her neck and back, pulling her in, but she holds her arms up to keep herslef from being pulled too close. 

“I want to believe you.” She puts her fists gently to his ribs, pushing off of him, “I do, but Izzy said she could tell how I felt about you. She said she’s known for awhile and hasn’t said anything. If our friends can tell how I feel about you, why do they still think you have feelings for Clary?”

“Maia, please, don’t listen to them,” Jace rests his head against hers, “please.”

“I think I need some time Jace.”

“Baby, please don’t do this,” Jace lets her go and tries to catch her eyes, “Please.”

“You’re obviously not over her, you should stop spending so much time with your rebound-”

“Christ Maia,” Jace runs his hands through his hair, “Do you hear yourself right now? Are you really going to toss the last 6 months down the drain because of some dumb comment Izzy made? ”

Maia freezes, her hands wrapped around her shoulders. It’s still a little chilly and Jace’s eyes on her add to her shiver. 

“I don’t know,” Maia shakes her head, “I don’t know. I don’t-I want to believe it, I do, I love you-” Jace has somehow pulled her into his arms without her realizing it. He smoothes her hair back and kisses her cheek, her eyebrow, jaw. “You get me,” she mumbles, stream of consciousness taking over, “and you make me so happy but everyone, everyone says-”

“Don’t listen to them,” he whispers it into the hair above her temple, “You and I both know how we feel.”

She doesn't cry because she doesn’t cry over dumb things like spilled milk and boys. She does curl further into Jace and, eventually, tug him toward the diner with their hands clasped between them. 

*****

“Wake up,” Maia prods Jace’s shoulder, “We have to meet everyone for brunch.”

“No,” Jace grumbles and tugs the blankets over his head. 

“Yes,” she ducks under the blankets and kisses his pout, “Come on.”

“Just let them start without us,” Jace, eyes still closed, pulls Maia in close, “tell them we got stuck in traffic.”

“We have to go separately,” Maia reminds him, “They’ll think we slept together if we disappear from the formal together one night and show up together at brunch the next day.”

“We did sleep together,” Jace points out, “We sleep together a lot.”

“Yeah, but we don’t want them knowing that.” Maia pulls the blanket away from his face. She had gotten up an hour ago to get ready. All she has to do is force a cup of coffee in Jace and head out to meet their friends and hope he follows. 

Jace sits up with his back against the headboard, “Why don’t we want that again?” The blanket pools around his hips. It’s so casual, normal for him to be in her bed. 

“Why are you asking me?” Maia sorts through the drawer he claimed when the semester started and pulls out a fresh pair of jeans and a t-shirt. When he doesn’t answer, she turns and quirks an eyebrow, “Jace?”

He’s frowning, “you think no one knows about us because I want it that way?”

She throws the clothes at him, “Yeah, what’s the matter?” She shrugs it off like it’s no big deal. When they started, it wasn’t. When they started it was supposed to be convenient sex. 

“I thought you didn’t want other people to know,” Jace grimaces after he says it, “Why did you think I wanted it like this?”

“Wait, what?” Maia crosses her arms over chest and takes a step toward the bed, “Why would I want to keep it a secret?”

“Because I’m an idiot frat boy who’d ruin your image,” Jace smirks, concealing the vulnerability Maia has learned to read.

“Where did you get that from?”

“You literally said it to me,” Jace bites his lip, “you said other things like it too.”

“Yeah, and I call you asshole and dumbass all the time but I don’t think you’re actually an asshole or a dumbass. It was just a joke because I thought you didn’t want to be seen with me. It was how I coped.” Maia feels ripped raw. Jace stands up from the bed, comfortable in his nudity, and puts his hands on her shoulders, gentle as ever. 

“When have I ever given any indication that I didn’t want to be seen with you?” Jace moves his hand to her face, “I go out of my way to spend time with Simon and Clary, of all people, because I know they normally end up at the same place as you. I sit at the counter at the Harvest Moon during pretty much all of your shifts. I took you to the dance yesterday, I wouldn’t have done that if I wanted to hide you away.”

Maia’s lips twitch and she shakes her head, “I didn’t realize. How would I have known? You never take me to places other people go. When you and Clary started dating, you were all over her in public and when you weren’t like that with me I just assumed you were ashamed-”

“Oh baby.”

“-of me. I’m not in a cool sorority or popular like you and all of your friends. I just- assumed.”

“That makes two of us,” Jace says with a sigh.

Jace tugs her into an embrace and she rubs his back as he runs his finger through her hair and carefully massages her scalp. 

Maia tries to wrap her head around the idea of walking around hand in hand with Jace. She’s wanted it for awhile, but now that it looks like it’s a possibility, she doesn’t know how to handle it. 

“I didn’t take you to the places I took Clary because her and my relationship had been about being seen. You and I are about each other and I wanted you to myself,” Jace kisses her forehead. 

“Ok,” Maia holds him tighter around the waist, “I promise I didn’t mean anything by what I said. I don’t mean anything by those comments, I just say them but I love you.”

“I know, I love you too,” Jace whispers, “We’re going to be late to brunch.”

“Still feel like we have a lot to say.”

“Talk in the car?” Jace breaks away and pulls his t-shirt on, “since we don’t have any reason not to show up together?”

“You’re driving,” Maia grabs her purse and looks for his keys, “what are we going to say to them?”

“We’ll come up with something,” Jace zips up his jeans and fluffs his hair, “Let’s go.”

“Gross,” Maia taps his lips, “brush your teeth at least.” 

“Ok, in a minute,” he leans down and plants a kiss on her mouth, “would hate to waste the morning breath.”

“Jace!” she laughs as he kisses her face and then runs to the bathroom, “I’ll get you some coffee for the road.”

“Thank you!” he yells from her bathroom and she walks to the kitchen, his wallet and keys in her right hand and a smile on her face. 

*****

Jace parks down the street from the diner, lucky to find a spot nearby. He turns off the car and turns to Maia, “You are 100% on board with doing this.”

“Yeah,” Maia nods, “100%.” Jace nods back. She leans in to kiss him gently, “Come on, Blondie, it’s a band aid we were eventually going to have to rip off.”

“Fine, let’s go,” they get out of the car. Jace throws an arm over her shoulder and puts his other hand in his jeans' pocket. She slides a hand into his back pocket and gives a light squeeze, “Hey, don’t tease me now.”

“Are you not going to be fun with me any more?” She smirks up at him.

“Don’t test me,” the hand he has over her shoulder skirts the edge of her neckline and he bounces his eyebrows at her. 

“Save it for later Tiger,” she laughs. They reach the door of the Diner and he pulls it open for her. Izzy, Raphael, Alec, Magnus, Clary, and Simon are sat around a big table with two empty chairs next to each other. 

Jace grabs Maia’s hand as they approach and everyone at the table’s eyes shoot open in their direction. Clary whispers something to Izzy and Izzy shakes her head. Jace and Maia walk closer to the table and before anyone can say anything, Maia cuts them off.

“We’ve been dating since October,” Maia sits in one of the chairs, leaning into Jace when he sits down next to her, “deal with it.”

“Babe, could have been a little gentler,” Jace says and kisses the skin by her ear, “We’re sorry we didn’t tell all of you.”

“What?!” Simon says, “October?”

“I knew it,” Magnus grins, “Alexander, I believe I have a bet to collect on.”

“Oh my god,” Izzy covers her mouth, “Maia, I am so sorry for what I said last night-”

Maia cuts her off, “Apology accepted and let’s never talk about it again, ok?”

Izzy nods, “ok.”

“Cool, now, did you guys already order?”

“We were waiting for you two,” Raphael confirms, “But those two cups of coffee are yours.”

“Here,” Clary passes a menu to Maia, “the list of specials.”

“Thanks,” Maia takes the list from her and can feel Jace right over her shoulder reading along with her, “Will you split your omelette with me if I get this caramel waffle.”

“If you split that waffle with me, yeah, sure,” Jace takes a sip of the coffee, “So, how was the rest of the dance?”

“I’m sorry, I’m still processing,” Simon sits forward at the table, “You’re trying to tell me you two have been dating for almost 6 months without any of us realizing?”

Jace nods and some of Maia’s hair moves with the motion, “Yes.”

“I knew,” Magnus raises his coffee cup, “It was very obvious.”

“No it wasn’t!” Simon insists, “you hang out together all the time with us and I’ve never thought anything of it.”

“Simon, when did that ever happen before 6 months ago?” Jace points out, “Think about it.”

Simon’s face scrunches up in concentration for a moment before relaxing, “yep, you’re right. Totally obvious.”

Maia laughs and the coil of tension that had been wrapped around her spine relaxes. The waitress approaches, “Is everyone ready?”

“We’re good,” Rafael says before he starts ordering. Maia sets a hand on Jace’s thigh and plays with the hole near his knee. Jace trails a finger down her bicep. She could get used to this.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it.
> 
> Tumblr: emmybazy.tumblr.com


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